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Why EA Should Be Welcoming To Religious People

ozymandias271:

Why EA Should Be Welcoming To Religious People

[Religious people: ironically, this post is not going to be welcoming to you guys, because it takes atheism as a base-level assumption.] I pretty fervently believe that effective altruism should make deliberate efforts to reach out to religious people, to the point that my litmus test for whether I take someone seriously in the perennial Effective Altruism PR Wars is whether they agree with me on…

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Not by any means an expert on Islam (I’m that embarrassing assigned-christian-at-birth whitey who knows “the” one muslim they could personally ask on such things, (but at least I recognize it)), but this wikipedia description sounds awfully EAish:

Scholars have traditionally interpreted this verse as identifying the following eight categories of Muslim causes to be the proper recipients of zakat:[17][50]

  1. Those living without means of livelihood (Al-Fuqarā’),[17] the poor[50]
  2. Those who cannot meet their basic needs (Al-Masākīn),[17] the needy[50]
  3. To zakat collectors (Al-Āmilīyn ‘Alihā)[17][50]
  4. To persuade those sympathetic to or expected to convert to Islam (Al-Mu'allafatu Qulūbuhum),[17] recent converts to Islam[16][50][51] and potential allies in the cause of Islam[50][52]
  5. To free from slavery or servitude (Fir-Riqāb),[17] slaves of Muslims who have or intend to free from their master by means of a kitabah contract[50][52]
  6. Those who have incurred overwhelming debts while attempting to satisfy their basic needs (Al-Ghārimīn),[17] debtors who in pursuit of a worthy goal incurred a debt[50]
  7. Those fighting for a religious cause or a cause of God (Fī Sabīlillāh),[17] or for Jihad in the way of Allah by means of pen, word, or sword,[53] or for Islamic warriors who fight against the unbelievers but are not part of salaried soldiers.[50][52][54]:h8.17
  8. Wayfarers, stranded travellers (Ibnu Al-Sabīl),[17] travellers who are traveling with a worthy goal but cannot reach their destination without financial assistance[50][52]

Zakat should not be given to one’s own parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, spouses or the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.[55]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakat

I’m pretty sure you can easily see which categories GiveWell, GiveDirectly, AMF etc. would each fall in. The rules even seem to acknowledge that administrative costs may be a legitimate factor in charity! And one should help people further away instead of one’s immediate relatives or high-status causes. (Although that means that EY would have to choose between being the rightful caliph and being eligible to receive zakat…)

1 month ago · tagged #religion cw #islam cw #effective altruism · 52 notes · source: ozymandias271 · .permalink

  1. almostcoralchaos reblogged this from ozymandias271
  2. skeletontemple reblogged this from ozymandias271
  3. conductivemithril reblogged this from truffledmadness and added:
    Sup!EDIT: Oh. Right. Your disclaimer upthread. Reading comprehension fail. Sorry. *facepalm*
  4. whitemarbleblock reblogged this from invertedporcupine and added:
    That is bizarre, since Scott is penning a web novel that is 110% Talmudic.
  5. invertedporcupine reblogged this from ozymandias271 and added:
    This is interesting, because I have often been annoyed at the difference between how the SSC comments section treats...
  6. truffledmadness reblogged this from conductivemithril and added:
    Um. Hi there.
  7. wirehead-wannabe reblogged this from ozymandias271 and added:
    Pretty much all endorsed, but you left out “solidarity between Ravenclaw Primaries with weird beliefs” as a reason.
  8. ghostofasecretary reblogged this from ozymandias271
  9. myramblingness reblogged this from ozymandias271
  10. ozymandias271 reblogged this from truffledmadness and added:
    This is a good point!Judaism is probably also an easier sell for the hardcore atheists, a lot of whom seem to hate...
  11. socialjusticemunchkin reblogged this from ozymandias271 and added:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakat I’m pretty sure you can easily see which categories GiveWell, GiveDirectly, AMF etc....